June 1, 2017. + Orthodox Calendar

Orthodox Calendar 2017

Преподобный Иустин (Попович), Челийский

Иоанн Кронштадтский

Агапит врач Печерский

Old Style

June 1

Wednesday

New Style

June 14

2nd Week after Pentecost. Tone 8.
Fast of the Holy Apostles.

Monastic rule: xerophagy (bread, uncooked fruits and vegetables).

Martyrs Justin the Philosopher, and those with him at Rome: Chariton, Charita, Euelpistus, Hierax, Paeon, and Valerian (Liberianus) (166). St. Dionysius of Glushitsa (Vologda), monastic founder (1437). Righteous John, Wonderworker of Kronstadt (Glorification 1990)

St. Agapitus, unmercenary physician, of the Kiev Caves (11th c.). St. Justin (Popovic), archimandrite, of Chelije in Serbia (1978). Sts. Shio the New, David, Gabriel, and Paul, of Gareji, Georgia (1696-1700).

Martyr Thespesius of Cappadocia (230). Martyr Firmus of Magus (284-303). St. Mertius the Farmer, of Myra in Lycia (912).

Repose of Metropolitan Tryphon (Turkestanov) of Dmitrov (1934) and Elder Philaret of Kapsala, Mt. Athos (1975).

Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse

St. Theophan the Recluse

Wednesday. [Rom. 4:13–25; Matt. 7:21–23]

Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven (Matt. 7:21). You will not be saved through prayer alone; you must unite with prayer fulfilment of the will of God—all that lies upon each person according to his calling and way of life. And prayer should have as its subject primarily the request that God enable us not to depart in any way from His holy will. Conversely, he who is zealous to fulfil God’s will in all things has boldness in prayer before God and greater access to His throne. Moreover, prayer that is not accompanied by walking in God’s will is often not true, sober and heartfelt prayer, but only external reading, during which one’s moral dysfunction is concealed by a multitude of words like a mist, while the thoughts are actually disorderly and wandering. Both must be made orderly through piety, and then there will be fruit.

Articles

Martyr Justin the Philosopher and those with him at Rome

The Holy Martyr Justin the Philosopher was born around 114 at Sychem, an ancient city of Samaria. Justin’s parents were pagan Greeks.

Venerable Dionysius the Abbot of Glushitsa, Vologda

Our holy Father Dionysius, a native of Vologda, was one of the greatest ascetics of Russia’s Northern Thebaid, and had links to some of the most important figures of Russian monasticism.

My Life in Christ

St. John of Kronstadt

"In this warfare I have come to know the immensity of God's long-suffering to us; for He alone knows all the infirmity of our fallen nature, which He mercifully took upon Himself, except for sin (I Peter2:22; Isaiah 53:9; I John 3:5; 4:10; Hebrews 4:15), and therefore He commanded us 'seventy times seven' times to forgive the sins (St. Matt. 18:22) of those who have fallen into them; and He has surrounded and continued to surround me everyday with the joys of salvation from sin in peace and expansion of the heart. The Divine mercy which I have experienced and the perpetual nearness to me of the Lord confirm me in the hope of my eternal salvation and in that of those who follow and hear me to salvation, according to the word of the Scriptures, 'Behold I and the children which God hath given me'"

The Life of the Pastor of Kronstadt

Bishop Nikon

I lowered my eyes, while he continued to look at me, looking straight into my soul. He began to talk. I cannot even hope to reproduce all that he said. He spoke about my hut being like paradise, because wherever there are children, all is light and warmth there, and that I should not trade this paradise for the smoky atmosphere of a bar. He did not accuse me, – no, he kept excusing me, only I did not feel like being excused… He left, while I just continued sitting there quietly… I didn’t cry, although my soul was on the brink of tears. My wife kept looking at me… And ever since that time I became a decent man again…”

John of Kronstadt: Saint of Communion, Saint of Confession

Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware)

It is very clear that when St. John in his Epistle and our Savior in the Gospel speak about love they do not just mean something sentimental, something emotional, they mean something far more profound. The kind of love that they envisage, a universal all-embracing love, a love without limits, can only be a result of prayer, of ascetic effort.

God the Father is All-Good. St. John of Kronstadt

Bishop Alexander (Mileant)

"God, Father of the Word, is also our benevolent and loving Father. When saying 'The Lord's Prayer,' we must believe and remember that the Father in heaven never forgets and will never forget us, for what earthly father forgets or does not care for his children? Remember that our Heavenly Father constantly surrounds us with love and care, and not in vain is He called our Father—this is not a name without meaning and force, but a name with great significance and power."

Miraculous Help from St. John of Kronstadt Today

Olga Rozhneva

My heart froze. I asked her myself how my son is. The doctor answered, “Mama, there must have been some mistake with your son. It can’t be explained any other way.

“I still marvel at the power of his prayer.” St. John of Kronstadt

Father John Sergiev breathed fresh life into Russian spirituality, making it predominantly Eucharistic. With eldership on the wane, this age-old Russian form of religious piety prophetically bequeathed by Father John of Kronstadt determined the existence of the Russian Orthodox Church for many years to come.

St. John of Kronstadt Through the Eyes of New Martyr Alexander Hotovitzky

New Martyr Alexander Hotovitzky

In 1903, Fr. Alexander traveled to Russia and visited Fr. John Sergiev, the future saint, in Kronstadt. When he returned to New York, he gave an interview to a reporter from the Wilkes-Barre Times, and spoke about the famous wonder-worker of Kronstadt. The article was printed in that periodical on April 7, 1904.

St. John of Kronstadt and the Education of Children

Archpriest Alexander Zelenenko

St. John of Kronstadt considered love for children to be the foundation of a teacher’s work—a foundation that is very often denied by modern-day so-called technicians of secular educational sciences and activities.

Venerable Agapitus the Unmercenary Physician of the Kiev Near Caves

This holy Unmercenary Physician was born at Kiev. He was a novice and disciple of Saint Anthony of the Caves, and lived during the eleventh century.

Holy Monk-martyrs Shio the New, Davit, Gabriel, and Pavle of Gareji (†1696–1700)

Archpriest Zakaria Machitadze

The holy monk-martyrs Shio the New, Davit, Gabriel and Pavle labored in the Davit-Gareji Wilderness at the end of the 17th century. St. Shio was from the village of Vedzisi in the Kartli region.

Venerable David of the Gareji Monastery, Georgia

Saint David of Gareji first settled in the outskirts of Tbilisi, the new capital of Georgia. Through his wondrous preaching, Saint David converted many fire-worshippers and brought people of many creeds to the Christian Faith.

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